The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-12-24
NOTHING BUT ENCOUR-
 AGEMENT.

turn, in that peculiar fondneSs which casts warm glow about incl dents that were once painful, to the Scottville ArgpS. Scottyille is very small town in Allen county, Ky. have thought, in the days of my ad- versity, when could walk ali day and not meet more than half dozen men whom owed, that Scottville might have been snatched from her bleak hilltop and choked to death without causing single sigh to escape from the commercial world. When my partner in journalism, H. c. Warner. and l lived there, the people were alternately hurried from lawsuits into revivals. A new circuit-rider could break up a session of circuit court and hold his mastery for about three days :; then the judge would make disas- trous draw on the meeting house. If 8 prominent citizen failed at the mourner's bench, he smoothed down the "friezely" feathers of his towzled spirits by suing some fellow who, hay ing pulled through" at the bench, had shouted with triumphant lusti- ness. Among these people we had hoped to build up a great newspaper. In surveying the field we had decided that they would buy a juicy paper with that active liberality which, on the first day we appeared in town, had marked their patronage of fel- low who sold prize packages near the entrance of circus tent. Warner had formerly run paper in neighboring town, and as he still owned the plant, or at least held disputed possession of it, we loaded the type into candle box and brought it over to Scottville. The people treated us, at first, with overfowing, perfect "freshet" of courtesy, but when they found that we were not connected with the cir GUS, that we had come simply to start a newspaper, they removed the warm roast of favor and presented us with the cold shoulder of unconcern. This depressed me, but it seemed to encour- age Warner "Why," said he, "don't you know that all great newspapers are started in an unfriendly atmos- phere? Look at the New York Her. ald. Its first editorials were written on the head of a flour barrel-and by the way, a fellow round here has a first-class barrel and says that if we'll give him an editorial notice we may have it. Reckon we'd better give him few lines"
 Warner, by some mysterious means secured 8 novelty press" It had belonged to laundry man, and had been employed by him, think, in marking shirts. We used it in soiling sheets. was the editor in chief; Warner was the business manager and head book keeper. It was his duty to make fires; it was my duty to bring water up a steep hill, and, as was compelled to use an old camp kettle of largest size, I often thought that was the hardest worked editor in the country. We looked with pride upon our first issue, although the unevenness of the press work-dark and frowning here, pale and ghastly there-gave our sheet the appearance of having caught the play ful lights and shadows of a semi- cloudy day. An editorial on a vital national issue, written in deepest bass, "showed up" in thinly piping tenor, while a light announcement, calling attention to the dried fruit kept for sale by J. W. Higby & Go. was an- nounced in a dark, strong voice. was a little worried over this, but Warner assured me that it was all right "That dried apple man." said he, twill be pleased to see that we have spared no ink in our desire to bring him before the public and may give us another ad." The dried fruit dealer was much pleased when Warner showed him the extent to which we had gone to make his announcement